Jorge Claros - without a club

[jacomo]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jun/24/jorge-claros-shot-world-cup-honduras

Good article on 'Pitbull'. I didn't know he'd been shot (twice, in fact) nor that we offered him a five year contract last summer (would have been worth more if we'd used the money spent on OTJ too, but that's another story).

I imagine he'll get lucrative offers following his appearances in the World Cup shop window, and lower League Scottish football won't quite cut it. Good luck to him, anyhow.

[easty]

Lucrative or not, he'll not be short of offers. He'll not be back at Hibs that's for sure.

I really like Claros, looks like a good player who doesn't have his own head stuck up his arse. Wish him all the best.

[.Sean.]

What a player.

[edwards]

Claros I never thought highly of when he arrived at ER and used to think he was a bit slow until my son pointed out that if you took him out of the centre of midfield how basic the hibs team would be. How true these words were :agree:
Would trade him for Jones or Stevenson :agree:

[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

Loved Claros here.

[GGTTH07]

Best passer since boozy.

[Kato]

Natural born Hibs player.

[woodythehibee]

I think TheCat was friends with Jorge. Any chance he would come back?

From what I understand, him and his family absolutely loved their time in Edinburgh. Jorge is a proper football player. Hibs class.

[Big Frank]

I liked him alot. Wish he was still here :agree:

[neil7908]

Desperately want him back, club should pull out all stops to convince him to come back

[Elephant Stone]

Please, Alan. Pleaaase.

[Thecat23]

Agent has been putting his name to couple of English clubs and also in the States.

Would take him back here in a heartbeat!

[woodythehibee]

Agent has been putting his name to couple of English clubs and also in the States.

Would take him back here in a heartbeat!

Tell the agent to get Jorge's name to Stubbsy.

[Thecat23]

Already have 😉


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[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

Already have 😉


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Legend. :top marks

[Thecat23]

I think TheCat was friends with Jorge. Any chance he would come back?

From what I understand, him and his family absolutely loved their time in Edinburgh. Jorge is a proper football player. Hibs class.

He did love Edinburgh but also Hibs. He was genuinely gutted when he left and hoped he could return soon.

Honestly no idea if Stubbs would take him or if Claros wants to play in the championship when he may get other offers from clubs in the UK.

But as I say, he loved Edinburgh and how the fans (and I quote) "were all great to him."

[Nutmegged]

I wasn't a big fan of Claros when he was here but the gap he left in the midfield was mindnumbingly obvious

[Thecat23]

I wasn't a big fan of Claros when he was here but the gap he left in the midfield was mindnumbingly obvious

His first season he was very poor. His second he rarely gave the ball away and his distribution was superb. The lack of fight when he left like you say was clear to everyone.

[Boyle89]

If only we'd not been relegated :(. Butcher you c@#t!
So composed on the ball and hard working off it. Oh for a player like him in our midfield...

[calumhibee1]

Absolutely superb player. Got to admire him for pulling through all that happened to him to be playing at a WC aswell. :agree:

[hfc rd]

Would definitely take him back.

[offshorehibby]

He stayed around the corner from us. Mrs OS would see him and the family regularly on the bus always had a hello. I think he'd love to settle back into Edinburgh life. Don't know if the'd be the answer for us in the Championship.

[Bronson]

Already have 


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Would he be interested in a return do you think?

Would give my left baw to see him back in a hibs jersey.

[Thecat23]

Personally I think so yeah. But depends who else and what leagues they are in come in for him.


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[Bronson]

Personally I think so yeah. But depends who else and what leagues they are in come in for him.


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He's the kind of signing that will get fans excited and get STs sold, the guy's different class.

Can't help but feel his solid performances at the WC will have ensured he has better offers than us on the table though.

[davhibby]

He'd be a Sauzee esque signing if we could get him. Sadly, I think he'll get decent offers in much better leagues than we're in though

[jacomo]

He stayed around the corner from us. Mrs OS would see him and the family regularly on the bus always had a hello. I think he'd love to settle back into Edinburgh life. Don't know if the'd be the answer for us in the Championship.

I think he'd be fabulous in the Championship. But probably unaffordable.

He's got some exposure in the World Cup and acquitted himself pretty well in a limited team. The article says that his old club were asking for an £800k transfer fee... Doesn't seem unreasonable tbh but I think he's out of our league.

[Aldo]

Already have dde09 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good man.

Cannae see him coming back but would be an excellent signing.

Not going to rule out anything.

[GlasgowHibee]

One of the most underrated players of recent times. Kept our midfield together single handedly in most games.

Take him back in a heartbeat.

[DC_Hibs]

We talking about the same guy? ?

Nosebleed over half way line, nae assists or shots on target to his name, legend at the 10yard pass and mair poodle than pit bull.

Who rushed to sign him after his legendary performances at the Heebs??

You cants crack me up.

Good guy and attitude though.

[Hibernia Na Eir]

Can Stubbs not choose his own player?

[jacomo]

Can Stubbs not choose his own player?

Given his job title is Head Coach, I think the answer is no.

[nribs]

We talking about the same guy? ?

Nosebleed over half way line, nae assists or shots on target to his name, legend at the 10yard pass and mair poodle than pit bull.

Who rushed to sign him after his legendary performances at the Heebs??

You cants crack me up.

Good guy and attitude though.
We didn't miss him much at all did we? Opinions eh I thought he was excellent.

[hfc rd]

Given his job title is Head Coach, I think the answer is no.


Then who would be in charge of the transfers of players coming in and going out and discussing contracts? Leanne Dempster? George Craig?

[Bronson]

We talking about the same guy? ?

Nosebleed over half way line, nae assists or shots on target to his name, legend at the 10yard pass and mair poodle than pit bull.

Who rushed to sign him after his legendary performances at the Heebs??

You cants crack me up.

Good guy and attitude though.

I can tell if you're:

1) A yam
2) Delusional
3) Fishing for bites
4) All of the above

[Spike Mandela]

Nae goals, few assists if any. The sheer paucity of skill in our team over the last few years made the fact that he played with his head up and more often than not found a player and made interventions, made him look something special compared to the rest. I don't think he was.

New manager, fresh approach at the club and a time to look forward to new names, new little gems uncovered and not time for hankering back nostalgically to players that were mediocre at best.

[mentalhibee]

Would be delighted to see Claros back at Hibs.

[Kato]

Nae goals, few assists if any. The sheer paucity of skill in our team over the last few years made the fact that he played with his head up and more often than not found a player and made interventions, made him look something special compared to the rest. I don't think he was.


Sorry, but he was a great defensive miodfielder, with better players around him he'd thrive. Given we've had some of the powderpuffiest midfielders ever in recent years he was always holding the midfield line himself. Our defence was wide open last season as we had no-one like him sweeping in front.

[Postman]

Probably the best football player we've had in a number of seasons! Would be delighted if there was even the slightest chance of it happening

[Postman]

mediocre at best.

If players representing their countries at the World Cup are mediocre then I'd say you're going to be hard to please with the signings we make this summer!

[TheFamous1875]

Great player. As stated by Kato, he'd thrive with attacking players around him. Early candidate for team of the decade from me (so far!)

Would love to see him back. Make it happen, TheCat!


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[Spike Mandela]

If players representing their countries at the World Cup are mediocre then I'd say you're going to be hard to please with the signings we make this summer!

Mediocre players can play at World cups....I give you Ryan Mac Gowan.:wink:

Ask any supporter of other clubs about Claros at Hibs. They won't even have noticed him. Another 'Class' player in the .net bubble.

As I said before I am looking forward to new signings, new young players and a new coach and not seeing old players trundling up who I associate with some of the worst Hibs teams I have seen in my 40 years watching them.

[hihohibby]

It's true what they say about football being about opinions: my opinion is that Claros was average in terms of performances. I don't recall many game-changing moments from him or, indeed, many goals!
I do, however, feel that he is better than what we currently have and so would take him back, as he should be able to rise above the mediocrity of the 2nd tier.

[Pretty Boy]

He wasn't in the team to score goals or provide assists.

He was there to break up play and move the ball on quickly and he did it exceptionally well. With a couple of decent attacking midfielders in front of him he would be a brilliant asset to have.

[HappyHibby93]

Best passer since boozy.

Spot on. Always showed a bit of class in my opinion. was always calm on the ball, almost had a hit of swagger, we all love that in a player.

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[GreenCastle]

49 caps for Honduras and played at a World Cup but not good enough for the mighty Scottish Championship...

Some fans need a reality check and an education about what a good footballer is.

Yes he started slowly at the club but change of culture probably explains this. Once settled he was terrific - he just played in a crap team and no attacking midfielders in front of him - just LG up top.

If he was still with us last season we wouldn't have been relegated.

[Postman]

Mediocre players can play at World cups....I give you Ryan Mac Gowan.:wink:

Ask any supporter of other clubs about Claros at Hibs. They won't even have noticed him. Another 'Class' player in the .net bubble.

As I said before I am looking forward to new signings, new young players and a new coach and not seeing old players trundling up who I associate with some of the worst Hibs teams I have seen in my 40 years watching them.

Ryan McGowan would walk into the Hibs team next season no bother at all.

There is not a player at the World Cup for any team that would not be welcome at ER next season!

[nribs]

49 caps for Honduras and played at a World Cup but not good enough for the mighty Scottish Championship...

Some fans need a reality check and an education about what a good footballer is.

Yes he started slowly at the club but change of culture probably explains this. Once settled he was terrific - he just played in a crap team and no attacking midfielders in front of him - just LG up top.

If he was still with us last season we wouldn't have been relegated.
We might have been, Butcher probably wouldn't have played him.

[Thecat23]

All about opinions but I must say some comments leave me laughing away. How these folk view players and games is beyond me.

Claros is a class player.

[Spike Mandela]

All about opinions but I must say some comments leave me laughing away. How these folk view players and games is beyond me.

Claros is a class player.

It is all about opinions I agree and I am laughing away, as you say, at some peoples definition of the word 'class'.

In my 40 years supporting Hibs there are very few I would use the term 'class' for. Stanton,Collins, Sauzee and Latapy spring to mind. Maybe add some of the young stars like Brown, Riordan or even Griffiths. All abou opinions though. Claros does not spring to mind for me.

If you object to my use of the word mediocre I will raise it to competent or even half decent.:greengrin:wink:

[greenpaper55]

I don't remember Claros doing much at ER, a very average player that no one is interested in signing.

[Thecat23]

It is all about opinions I agree and I am laughing away, as you say, at some peoples definition of the word 'class'.

In my 40 years supporting Hibs there are very few I would use the term 'class' for. Stanton,Collins, Sauzee and Latapy spring to mind. Maybe add some of the young stars like Brown, Riordan or even Griffiths. All abou opinions though. Claros does not spring to mind for me.

If you object to my use of the word mediocre I will raise it to competent or even half decent.:greengrin:wink:

Haha, don't get me wrong those players were superb for us. But many think Claros was poor.

[Hibernia Na Eir]

I don't remember Claros doing much at ER, a very average player that no one is interested in signing.

Agree.

He perhaps stood out a little more because those around him were of very poor standard.

[zolliehibs]

I never really rated him at first (despite his obvious technical superiority over the rest of the first team) but over time I warmed to him and thought he was an asset. I felt he did still slow down the play a bit too much though, especially when sitting in the middle beside Taiwo, which was a hallmark of Fenlon's team for too long.

[Hibernia Na Eir]

49 caps for Honduras and played at a World Cup but not good enough for the mighty Scottish Championship...

Some fans need a reality check and an education about what a good footballer is.

Yes he started slowly at the club but change of culture probably explains this. Once settled he was terrific - he just played in a crap team and no attacking midfielders in front of him - just LG up top.

If he was still with us last season we wouldn't have been relegated.

Im afraid all those caps mean little.

How bad were Honduras during this WC?

Probably one of the worst teams.

I don't think Claros should return. Time to move on.

[Crops73]

In my opinion, a proper midfield player. :aok:

Get him back Alan.

[Postman]

Im afraid all those caps mean little.

How bad were Honduras during this WC?

Probably one of the worst teams.

I don't think Claros should return. Time to move on.

You do realise we play in the second tier of one of Europes poorer leagues??

Not that I actually think this has a chance in hell of happening!

[Fergus52]

Sorry, but he was a great defensive miodfielder, with better players around him he'd thrive. Given we've had some of the powderpuffiest midfielders ever in recent years he was always holding the midfield line himself. Our defence was wide open last season as we had no-one like him sweeping in front.

The amount of goals we conceded because of no-one in our midfield marking properly was abysmal.

If we'd had Claros the season just gone by we would have conceded far less

[GreenCastle]

Im afraid all those caps mean little.

How bad were Honduras during this WC?

Probably one of the worst teams.

I don't think Claros should return. Time to move on.

All those caps mean little? You may as well say any Scottish players caps are worthless as they never get near a tournament.

Population of Honduras is around 8 million and he manages to get into the final squad and play but he's not good enough for our 11 ?

They may not be a top world cup team but did you watch their last match and his performance?

What about Gareth Bale playing for Wales or Ronaldo at Portugal - doesn't matter the international team it's the standard of player.

I'm not saying he's the best player to ever play for Hibs but I would rather watch Claros then Nelson, Collins and the other duds we witnessed last season.

I look forward to see who we do bring to get us promoted.

[Devilstorment]

Would love to see him back at Hibs. We had more midfielders than anything else last season and they all stank!

After losing out on Leigh, I clung on to a hope that we might have got at least another loan deal for Claros sorted... not to be, instead we sign a giant bit of wood.

Not sure when we would have been offering him a 5 year contract though...

[Devilstorment]

all those caps mean little? You may as well say any scottish players caps are worthless as they never get near a tournament.

Population of honduras is around 8 million and he manages to get into the final squad and play but he's not good enough for our 11 ?

They may not be a top world cup team but did you watch their last match and his performance?

What about gareth bale playing for wales or ronaldo at portugal - doesn't matter the international team it's the standard of player.

I'm not saying he's the best player to ever play for hibs but i would rather watch claros then nelson, collins and the other duds we witnessed last season.

I look forward to see who we do bring to get us promoted.


exactly!!!

[CapitalGreen]

Judging a defensive midfielder on their goals/assists is akin to judging a striker on their tackles/clearances.

[Kato]

It is all about opinions I agree and I am laughing away, as you say, at some peoples definition of the word 'class'.

In my 40 years supporting Hibs there are very few I would use the term 'class' for. Stanton,Collins, Sauzee and Latapy spring to mind. Maybe add some of the young stars like Brown, Riordan or even Griffiths. All abou opinions though. Claros does not spring to mind for me.

If you object to my use of the word mediocre I will raise it to competent or even half decent.:greengrin:wink:

For every Stanton, Collins, Latapy and Sauzee there are numerous Des Bremner's, John O'Neil's, Neil Orr's, etc etc. The latter were never in the class of the former but just as important in any team, ego-less grafters - which also explains why less discerning fans from other clubs don't really notice them. Scott Brown noticed Claros in the SC Final which is why he got JC booked for a fair challenge by whining at the ref.

Spike, I also totally understand the associated memories with such players - share some of them myself but Claros would have went from strength to strength with us if he'd stayed.

[Kato]

instead we sign a giant bit of wood.



To be fair Vine was worse then the giant bit of wood.

[The_Exile]

Sincere apologies for the lengthy post but trying to get everything in that I wanted to say was difficult! But I was a massive admirer of the wee guy so couldn't let this go unchecked :greengrin

Claros isn't capable of doing anything spectacular, nor should he be (although he's scored a few raspers in his time), he had a specific job to do, he's at a very high level in the way he operates that "job". He's the type of player you build the entire spine of your team around if you're playing a certain way (possession football with defence designed to spoil the counter attack of the opposition, counter attack is probably the most prevalent change we've witnessed in the tactical side of the game in recent memory, for example, the Madrid teams won the lot last year, what tactics do they use? Correct! Possession football with counter attack!).

The vast majority of people want to see players move forward and attack, the thing with Claros is his job is not to even entertain that notion, his job is to break the play up when the forward players lose possession of the ball and there's a counter attack brewing. Now, most top half premiership teams play a form of counter attack, therefore you would think they would love a player like Claros in their team eh? Wrong! What your top dozen or so teams in the Premiership want from their holding midfielder is an ability to go box to box and to ideally sit and dictate the play from deep. I don't think Jorge was ever capable of carving a defence open or splitting the opposition full backs from the centre backs and create space with his passing ability. (good examples are Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure, Mikel, Sami Khedira, all natural holding midfielders with the ability to launch attacks and get on the end of a move whilst also breaking up play and spoiling the counter from oppositions. I'm not comparing Claros to any of these guys, merely using them in context of the point!)

Claros is, in my opinion, at the top level of breaking a counter attack up and closing the passing lanes for the opposition (short of creation and scoring of goals, the ability to close a passing lane is the most desirable thing a manager could want), you would notice this if you watched only him for a good half hour, the consistency in his play and positioning was absolutely incredible, for the level he was playing at, and lets be honest here, SPL fitba is light years behind your Serie A's and La Liga's, which is where I'm assuming most of the "well why isn't he playing at a higher level" brigade are thinking he should be playing if he's that good. He's not THAT good an all rounder to be considered a starter for the likes of these teams, but that doesn't take anything away of how incredibly talented a specialist this guy is. If you don't see the sheer quality of what he brings to a strong midfield unit then you have to start making more of an effort to watch specifics of the game, that's not a dig at anyone by the way, it will genuinely enhance your enjoyment of watching a game of football. Granted, this can only be done live whilst at the game as a lot of this stuff is off the ball, hence, off camera, but it's certainly worth looking out for, it's very impressive and satisfying to watch.

There was a game that springs to mind (I forget who against), where the team were finally on the same page as Jorge, he was closing the lanes down, the full backs were pressing the wingers. The crowd were delighted and cheered every time the full backs and wide mids were pressing the ball as the opposition had to go backwards, they were getting nowhere near our goal line, but the cheers should have been for Claros, he was dictating the entire defensive unit, he did this for the whole game, he would close the passing lane down for the player in possession, and was basically ordering the full backs and wide mids to press the ball, he was the general in the middle dictating the game, it was utter genius! Now, we just need to sign a player worth watching now :greengrin

[Kato]

Sincere apologies for the lengthy post but trying to get everything in that I wanted to say was difficult! But I was a massive admirer of the wee guy so couldn't let this go unchecked :greengrin

Claros isn't capable of doing anything spectacular, nor should he be (although he's scored a few raspers in his time), he had a specific job to do, he's at a very high level in the way he operates that "job". He's the type of player you build the entire spine of your team around if you're playing a certain way (possession football with defence designed to spoil the counter attack of the opposition, counter attack is probably the most prevalent change we've witnessed in the tactical side of the game in recent memory, for example, the Madrid teams won the lot last year, what tactics do they use? Correct! Possession football with counter attack!).

The vast majority of people want to see players move forward and attack, the thing with Claros is his job is not to even entertain that notion, his job is to break the play up when the forward players lose possession of the ball and there's a counter attack brewing. Now, most top half premiership teams play a form of counter attack, therefore you would think they would love a player like Claros in their team eh? Wrong! What your top dozen or so teams in the Premiership want from their holding midfielder is an ability to go box to box and to ideally sit and dictate the play from deep. I don't think Jorge was ever capable of carving a defence open or splitting the opposition full backs from the centre backs and create space with his passing ability. (good examples are Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure, Mikel, Sami Khedira, all natural holding midfielders with the ability to launch attacks and get on the end of a move whilst also breaking up play and spoiling the counter from oppositions. I'm not comparing Claros to any of these guys, merely using them in context of the point!)

Claros is, in my opinion, at the top level of breaking a counter attack up and closing the passing lanes for the opposition (short of creation and scoring of goals, the ability to close a passing lane is the most desirable thing a manager could want), you would notice this if you watched only him for a good half hour, the consistency in his play and positioning was absolutely incredible, for the level he was playing at, and lets be honest here, SPL fitba is light years behind your Serie A's and La Liga's, which is where I'm assuming most of the "well why isn't he playing at a higher level" brigade are thinking he should be playing if he's that good. He's not THAT good an all rounder to be considered a starter for the likes of these teams, but that doesn't take anything away of how incredibly talented a specialist this guy is. If you don't see the sheer quality of what he brings to a strong midfield unit then you have to start making more of an effort to watch specifics of the game, that's not a dig at anyone by the way, it will genuinely enhance your enjoyment of watching a game of football. Granted, this can only be done live whilst at the game as a lot of this stuff is off the ball, hence, off camera, but it's certainly worth looking out for, it's very impressive and satisfying to watch.

There was a game that springs to mind (I forget who against), where the team were finally on the same page as Jorge, he was closing the lanes down, the full backs were pressing the wingers. The crowd were delighted and cheered every time the full backs and wide mids were pressing the ball as the opposition had to go backwards, they were getting nowhere near our goal line, but the cheers should have been for Claros, he was dictating the entire defensive unit, he did this for the whole game, he would close the passing lane down for the player in possession, and was basically ordering the full backs and wide mids to press the ball, he was the general in the middle dictating the game, it was utter genius! Now, we just need to sign a player worth watching now :greengrin

****** me, a knowledgeable balanced post. Well said that guy. Enjoyed reading every word.

[CapitalGreen]

Sincere apologies for the lengthy post but trying to get everything in that I wanted to say was difficult! But I was a massive admirer of the wee guy so couldn't let this go unchecked :greengrin

Claros isn't capable of doing anything spectacular, nor should he be (although he's scored a few raspers in his time), he had a specific job to do, he's at a very high level in the way he operates that "job". He's the type of player you build the entire spine of your team around if you're playing a certain way (possession football with defence designed to spoil the counter attack of the opposition, counter attack is probably the most prevalent change we've witnessed in the tactical side of the game in recent memory, for example, the Madrid teams won the lot last year, what tactics do they use? Correct! Possession football with counter attack!).

The vast majority of people want to see players move forward and attack, the thing with Claros is his job is not to even entertain that notion, his job is to break the play up when the forward players lose possession of the ball and there's a counter attack brewing. Now, most top half premiership teams play a form of counter attack, therefore you would think they would love a player like Claros in their team eh? Wrong! What your top dozen or so teams in the Premiership want from their holding midfielder is an ability to go box to box and to ideally sit and dictate the play from deep. I don't think Jorge was ever capable of carving a defence open or splitting the opposition full backs from the centre backs and create space with his passing ability. (good examples are Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure, Mikel, Sami Khedira, all natural holding midfielders with the ability to launch attacks and get on the end of a move whilst also breaking up play and spoiling the counter from oppositions. I'm not comparing Claros to any of these guys, merely using them in context of the point!)

Claros is, in my opinion, at the top level of breaking a counter attack up and closing the passing lanes for the opposition (short of creation and scoring of goals, the ability to close a passing lane is the most desirable thing a manager could want), you would notice this if you watched only him for a good half hour, the consistency in his play and positioning was absolutely incredible, for the level he was playing at, and lets be honest here, SPL fitba is light years behind your Serie A's and La Liga's, which is where I'm assuming most of the "well why isn't he playing at a higher level" brigade are thinking he should be playing if he's that good. He's not THAT good an all rounder to be considered a starter for the likes of these teams, but that doesn't take anything away of how incredibly talented a specialist this guy is. If you don't see the sheer quality of what he brings to a strong midfield unit then you have to start making more of an effort to watch specifics of the game, that's not a dig at anyone by the way, it will genuinely enhance your enjoyment of watching a game of football. Granted, this can only be done live whilst at the game as a lot of this stuff is off the ball, hence, off camera, but it's certainly worth looking out for, it's very impressive and satisfying to watch.

There was a game that springs to mind (I forget who against), where the team were finally on the same page as Jorge, he was closing the lanes down, the full backs were pressing the wingers. The crowd were delighted and cheered every time the full backs and wide mids were pressing the ball as the opposition had to go backwards, they were getting nowhere near our goal line, but the cheers should have been for Claros, he was dictating the entire defensive unit, he did this for the whole game, he would close the passing lane down for the player in possession, and was basically ordering the full backs and wide mids to press the ball, he was the general in the middle dictating the game, it was utter genius! Now, we just need to sign a player worth watching now :greengrin

:top marks

Excellent post. The most under-appreciated position on the pitch.

[Spike Mandela]

Sincere apologies for the lengthy post but trying to get everything in that I wanted to say was difficult! But I was a massive admirer of the wee guy so couldn't let this go unchecked :greengrin

Claros isn't capable of doing anything spectacular, nor should he be (although he's scored a few raspers in his time), he had a specific job to do, he's at a very high level in the way he operates that "job". He's the type of player you build the entire spine of your team around if you're playing a certain way (possession football with defence designed to spoil the counter attack of the opposition, counter attack is probably the most prevalent change we've witnessed in the tactical side of the game in recent memory, for example, the Madrid teams won the lot last year, what tactics do they use? Correct! Possession football with counter attack!).

The vast majority of people want to see players move forward and attack, the thing with Claros is his job is not to even entertain that notion, his job is to break the play up when the forward players lose possession of the ball and there's a counter attack brewing. Now, most top half premiership teams play a form of counter attack, therefore you would think they would love a player like Claros in their team eh? Wrong! What your top dozen or so teams in the Premiership want from their holding midfielder is an ability to go box to box and to ideally sit and dictate the play from deep. I don't think Jorge was ever capable of carving a defence open or splitting the opposition full backs from the centre backs and create space with his passing ability. (good examples are Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure, Mikel, Sami Khedira, all natural holding midfielders with the ability to launch attacks and get on the end of a move whilst also breaking up play and spoiling the counter from oppositions. I'm not comparing Claros to any of these guys, merely using them in context of the point!)

Claros is, in my opinion, at the top level of breaking a counter attack up and closing the passing lanes for the opposition (short of creation and scoring of goals, the ability to close a passing lane is the most desirable thing a manager could want), you would notice this if you watched only him for a good half hour, the consistency in his play and positioning was absolutely incredible, for the level he was playing at, and lets be honest here, SPL fitba is light years behind your Serie A's and La Liga's, which is where I'm assuming most of the "well why isn't he playing at a higher level" brigade are thinking he should be playing if he's that good. He's not THAT good an all rounder to be considered a starter for the likes of these teams, but that doesn't take anything away of how incredibly talented a specialist this guy is. If you don't see the sheer quality of what he brings to a strong midfield unit then you have to start making more of an effort to watch specifics of the game, that's not a dig at anyone by the way, it will genuinely enhance your enjoyment of watching a game of football. Granted, this can only be done live whilst at the game as a lot of this stuff is off the ball, hence, off camera, but it's certainly worth looking out for, it's very impressive and satisfying to watch.

There was a game that springs to mind (I forget who against), where the team were finally on the same page as Jorge, he was closing the lanes down, the full backs were pressing the wingers. The crowd were delighted and cheered every time the full backs and wide mids were pressing the ball as the opposition had to go backwards, they were getting nowhere near our goal line, but the cheers should have been for Claros, he was dictating the entire defensive unit, he did this for the whole game, he would close the passing lane down for the player in possession, and was basically ordering the full backs and wide mids to press the ball, he was the general in the middle dictating the game, it was utter genius! Now, we just need to sign a player worth watching now :greengrin

Each to their own. High praise for a man who will be a footnote in the history of one of the worst periods EVER watching Hibs.

[CapitalGreen]

Each to their own. High praise for a man who will be a footnote in the history of one of the worst periods EVER watching Hibs.

Like Leigh Griffiths?

[Spike Mandela]

Like Leigh Griffiths?

He most definitely will not be a footnote.

[The_Exile]

Each to their own. High praise for a man who will be a footnote in the history of one of the worst periods EVER watching Hibs.

I respect your opinion mate and, sadly, have to agree with it when all is said and done. We had a couple of outstanding individuals in that team but it'll never be remembered as a time of everybody bounding down to ER with great excitement.

[neil7908]

Sincere apologies for the lengthy post but trying to get everything in that I wanted to say was difficult! But I was a massive admirer of the wee guy so couldn't let this go unchecked :greengrin

Claros isn't capable of doing anything spectacular, nor should he be (although he's scored a few raspers in his time), he had a specific job to do, he's at a very high level in the way he operates that "job". He's the type of player you build the entire spine of your team around if you're playing a certain way (possession football with defence designed to spoil the counter attack of the opposition, counter attack is probably the most prevalent change we've witnessed in the tactical side of the game in recent memory, for example, the Madrid teams won the lot last year, what tactics do they use? Correct! Possession football with counter attack!).

The vast majority of people want to see players move forward and attack, the thing with Claros is his job is not to even entertain that notion, his job is to break the play up when the forward players lose possession of the ball and there's a counter attack brewing. Now, most top half premiership teams play a form of counter attack, therefore you would think they would love a player like Claros in their team eh? Wrong! What your top dozen or so teams in the Premiership want from their holding midfielder is an ability to go box to box and to ideally sit and dictate the play from deep. I don't think Jorge was ever capable of carving a defence open or splitting the opposition full backs from the centre backs and create space with his passing ability. (good examples are Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure, Mikel, Sami Khedira, all natural holding midfielders with the ability to launch attacks and get on the end of a move whilst also breaking up play and spoiling the counter from oppositions. I'm not comparing Claros to any of these guys, merely using them in context of the point!)

Claros is, in my opinion, at the top level of breaking a counter attack up and closing the passing lanes for the opposition (short of creation and scoring of goals, the ability to close a passing lane is the most desirable thing a manager could want), you would notice this if you watched only him for a good half hour, the consistency in his play and positioning was absolutely incredible, for the level he was playing at, and lets be honest here, SPL fitba is light years behind your Serie A's and La Liga's, which is where I'm assuming most of the "well why isn't he playing at a higher level" brigade are thinking he should be playing if he's that good. He's not THAT good an all rounder to be considered a starter for the likes of these teams, but that doesn't take anything away of how incredibly talented a specialist this guy is. If you don't see the sheer quality of what he brings to a strong midfield unit then you have to start making more of an effort to watch specifics of the game, that's not a dig at anyone by the way, it will genuinely enhance your enjoyment of watching a game of football. Granted, this can only be done live whilst at the game as a lot of this stuff is off the ball, hence, off camera, but it's certainly worth looking out for, it's very impressive and satisfying to watch.

There was a game that springs to mind (I forget who against), where the team were finally on the same page as Jorge, he was closing the lanes down, the full backs were pressing the wingers. The crowd were delighted and cheered every time the full backs and wide mids were pressing the ball as the opposition had to go backwards, they were getting nowhere near our goal line, but the cheers should have been for Claros, he was dictating the entire defensive unit, he did this for the whole game, he would close the passing lane down for the player in possession, and was basically ordering the full backs and wide mids to press the ball, he was the general in the middle dictating the game, it was utter genius! Now, we just need to sign a player worth watching now :greengrin

This x100. He was poor in his first season but when he left he was nearly as important as Griffiths to our team. He would absolutely stroll our league next season and if folk think we'll sign better players they are going to be in for a hell of a fright.

[Ianhibee]

We won't get Claros, Thomson or Griffiths back - and i am a big fan of all 3 - but heres to a season where we can watch football again after whatever it was called we watched last year…..

[bookert]

The amount of goals we conceded because of no-one in our midfield marking properly was abysmal.

If we'd had Claros the season just gone by we would have conceded far less
Do you remember the cup final againstead hearts, or the semi final against Falkirk. Please remind me of a gare he controlled. Move on

[davhibby]

Do you remember the cup final againstead hearts, or the semi final against Falkirk. Please remind me of a gare he controlled. Move on

He barely put a foot wrong from the second half and et in the semi final v Falkirk. Also, I think everyone would say that he was poor in the first 5 months

[JJP]

Would love to see him back but it won't happen, sadly.

[R11Loaded]

He's better than any holding midfielder we will sign if I'm honest.


Class doesn't show on a maroon jersey

[Up The Bracket]

Cheers guys

[Sergio sledge]

Goals win games, but they are not the only indicator of a players successful contribution to a team. Claros added a level of control and calmness to our midfield which was sorely missing last season. He was always available and willing to take the ball in tight situations and move it on to other players in the team. He was good at organising the midfield and breaking up the opposition play.

Now he's not going to go down in history as a club legend, he's no-where near good enough for that, however he's a very good player who would stroll the Championship and wouldn't look out of place in any of the teams in the SPFL. I would take him back at Hibs and I think he'd be up there as one of the best midfielders in the Championship. I'd certainly rather have him than Gomis who Hearts have just signed and who some on here have proclaimed as an excellent signing, I'd also rather Claros than Thomson on the evidence I've seen in the past two seasons.

When you look at some of the defensive midfielders that have been at Hibs since Boozy, he's certainly the best in my opinion. Noubissioe, Kerr, Cregg, McBride, Towell, Palsson, Thornhill, Osbourne, Deegan, Taiwo, Thomson, Tudur Jones.....

[Spike Mandela]

When you look at some of the defensive midfielders that have been at Hibs since Boozy, he's certainly the best in my opinion. Noubissioe, Kerr, Cregg, McBride, Towell, Palsson, Thornhill, Osbourne, Deegan, Taiwo, Thomson, Tudur Jones.....

Now there's a list to make a grown man weep.:boo hoo:

[jacomo]

If you don't see the sheer quality of what he brings to a strong midfield unit then you have to start making more of an effort to watch specifics of the game, that's not a dig at anyone by the way, it will genuinely enhance your enjoyment of watching a game of football. Granted, this can only be done live whilst at the game as a lot of this stuff is off the ball, hence, off camera, but it's certainly worth looking out for, it's very impressive and satisfying to watch.

:agree:

I get annoyed with people who spout off about the merits of this or that player, when they have only seen them on tv highlights or a dodgy live feed. There is no substitute for seeing the game live.

You know who you are!

[Centre Hawf]

Saw this on twitter and thought these stats summed him up

"Jorge Claros has an 88.1% pass completion rate during the world cup. Better than Gotze, Pique, Modric, Rakitic, Y.Toure, Ozil and Iniesta."

"He also has an average of 5.3 accurate long balls per game. Better than Xabi Alonso, Yohan Cabaye, John Obi Mikel, Yaya Toure & Paul Pogba"

[silverhibee]

Cheers guys

Do you have a warrant out for your arrest back here in Scotland for driving offences. :wink:

[RP1875]

Goals win games, but they are not the only indicator of a players successful contribution to a team. Claros added a level of control and calmness to our midfield which was sorely missing last season. He was always available and willing to take the ball in tight situations and move it on to other players in the team. He was good at organising the midfield and breaking up the opposition play.

Now he's not going to go down in history as a club legend, he's no-where near good enough for that, however he's a very good player who would stroll the Championship and wouldn't look out of place in any of the teams in the SPFL. I would take him back at Hibs and I think he'd be up there as one of the best midfielders in the Championship. I'd certainly rather have him than Gomis who Hearts have just signed and who some on here have proclaimed as an excellent signing, I'd also rather Claros than Thomson on the evidence I've seen in the past two seasons.

When you look at some of the defensive midfielders that have been at Hibs since Boozy, he's certainly the best in my opinion. Noubissioe, Kerr, Cregg, McBride, Towell, Palsson, Thornhill, Osbourne, Deegan, Taiwo, Thomson, Tudur Jones.....


Boozy wasn't a defensive midfielder. Thomson and Stewart where more defence minded.

Bamba in defensive midfield was better than Claros. He was outstanding under Mixu.

[GreenPJ]

Sincere apologies for the lengthy post but trying to get everything in that I wanted to say was difficult! But I was a massive admirer of the wee guy so couldn't let this go unchecked :greengrin

Claros isn't capable of doing anything spectacular, nor should he be (although he's scored a few raspers in his time), he had a specific job to do, he's at a very high level in the way he operates that "job". He's the type of player you build the entire spine of your team around if you're playing a certain way (possession football with defence designed to spoil the counter attack of the opposition, counter attack is probably the most prevalent change we've witnessed in the tactical side of the game in recent memory, for example, the Madrid teams won the lot last year, what tactics do they use? Correct! Possession football with counter attack!).

The vast majority of people want to see players move forward and attack, the thing with Claros is his job is not to even entertain that notion, his job is to break the play up when the forward players lose possession of the ball and there's a counter attack brewing. Now, most top half premiership teams play a form of counter attack, therefore you would think they would love a player like Claros in their team eh? Wrong! What your top dozen or so teams in the Premiership want from their holding midfielder is an ability to go box to box and to ideally sit and dictate the play from deep. I don't think Jorge was ever capable of carving a defence open or splitting the opposition full backs from the centre backs and create space with his passing ability. (good examples are Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure, Mikel, Sami Khedira, all natural holding midfielders with the ability to launch attacks and get on the end of a move whilst also breaking up play and spoiling the counter from oppositions. I'm not comparing Claros to any of these guys, merely using them in context of the point!)

Claros is, in my opinion, at the top level of breaking a counter attack up and closing the passing lanes for the opposition (short of creation and scoring of goals, the ability to close a passing lane is the most desirable thing a manager could want), you would notice this if you watched only him for a good half hour, the consistency in his play and positioning was absolutely incredible, for the level he was playing at, and lets be honest here, SPL fitba is light years behind your Serie A's and La Liga's, which is where I'm assuming most of the "well why isn't he playing at a higher level" brigade are thinking he should be playing if he's that good. He's not THAT good an all rounder to be considered a starter for the likes of these teams, but that doesn't take anything away of how incredibly talented a specialist this guy is. If you don't see the sheer quality of what he brings to a strong midfield unit then you have to start making more of an effort to watch specifics of the game, that's not a dig at anyone by the way, it will genuinely enhance your enjoyment of watching a game of football. Granted, this can only be done live whilst at the game as a lot of this stuff is off the ball, hence, off camera, but it's certainly worth looking out for, it's very impressive and satisfying to watch.

There was a game that springs to mind (I forget who against), where the team were finally on the same page as Jorge, he was closing the lanes down, the full backs were pressing the wingers. The crowd were delighted and cheered every time the full backs and wide mids were pressing the ball as the opposition had to go backwards, they were getting nowhere near our goal line, but the cheers should have been for Claros, he was dictating the entire defensive unit, he did this for the whole game, he would close the passing lane down for the player in possession, and was basically ordering the full backs and wide mids to press the ball, he was the general in the middle dictating the game, it was utter genius! Now, we just need to sign a player worth watching now :greengrin

So what you are saying is he is a South American Neil Lennon :duck:

[Smartie]

So what you are saying is he is a South American Neil Lennon :duck:

Whilst we may not have liked him very much, Neil Lennon did play in the Premiership, represented his country many times and won a good few medals at Celtic.

Very handy player imo.

[jacomo]

Boozy wasn't a defensive midfielder. Thomson and Stewart where more defence minded.

Bamba in defensive midfield was better than Claros. He was outstanding under Mixu.

Boozy was a DM after his injury... Or maybe that was just age catching up with him.

Loved seeing Sol Bamba the other night, thought he played very well. To me his natural position is CB but he was a powerhouse in midfield for us when he played there.

[RP1875]

Boozy was a DM after his injury... Or maybe that was just age catching up with him.

Loved seeing Sol Bamba the other night, thought he played very well. To me his natural position is CB but he was a powerhouse in midfield for us when he played there.


True, I don't think he was half the player in DM than he was at play maker though.

Yeah me too. I actually thought he was better in midfield for us. I think he wanted to play CH so moved back there once Hogg left. Maybe. :aok:

[The_Exile]

So what you are saying is he is a South American Neil Lennon :duck:

:greengrin In a nutshell, yes!

I guess it's all relative, how does a player who can't shoot, can't create, doesn't win headers, make a shed load of tackes or run about a lot end up playing at the top level and for their country? It gets pretty analytical and boring when you look into the merits of individual players, but suffice to say you can't posses a team of Galacticos and win anything. Example, see Claude Makelele (Champions League winner, La Liga winner, Premiership winner, World Cup runner up, FA Cup winner), according to some he was rank, but ask the players he played with in those teams who the first name on the team sheet was.